A Remorseful Night (Rewrite)
by SingingIntrovert
Summary: Ruby's lost so much. Friends, family, places she could call home. She's always been the one to keep everyone positive and help people through their troubles, but she doesn't know how long she can keep that up. She doesn't know how much more she can take. Luckily, she'll never have to endure this alone. (Rewrite of A Remorseful Night)


_Hush your cries,_

 _Close your eyes,_

 _Stay with me._

 _Let's just dream,_

 _Quietly,_

 _Of what might be._

The creaking of a door woke Qrow from his slumber. He turned to his left, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dark room. In the light of the shattered moon, he could make out a short, slim figure, who stood in the doorway, watching him.

"...by?" He mumbled sleepily. The figure seemed to tense up slightly. Qrow shifted his body and spoke clearer, "Ruby?"

Ruby hung her head slightly and quietly closed the door. "Sorry I woke you," She whispered, "you can go back to sleep."

Qrow blinked, pushing away the temptation to simply close his eyes and doze off again. Something was telling him that he had to stay awake. She could have just gone to the bathroom, or gotten a drink of water, but even in the dark, Qrow could make out something different in her silver eyes. Ruby laid herself onto her bed, pulling the covers over past her neck, her back facing Qrow. Her aura was giving off an odd vibe, almost as if she were in distress.

"You okay?" Qrow asked softly. Ruby nodded and let out a tiny "Mmhmm…" then, after a few minutes, murmured "No…"

Qrow took that as his cue. With a soft grunt, he willed himself up into a sitting position, focusing on his niece. "Nightmare?" He asked. Ruby nodded.

"You want to talk about it?"

She shrugged.

"Okay…anything I can do?"

Ruby didn't want to answer. She wanted to pretend that she'd already fallen back asleep, but her uncle wasn't an idiot. He wasn't going to let her go back to sleep, or sleep very well himself, knowing that she wasn't okay.

Ruby spoke in a quiet voice, "I don't want to bother you." The next sound she heard was the creaking of the bed next to her, and her uncle's footsteps approaching her bed. Not what she was hoping for, but she wasn't complaining.

Qrow sat at the edge of her bed, "You're not bugging me, kid, trust me." Ruby closed her eyes. She didn't think she could take this, Qrow being as nice as he was. Her feelings must have leaked out through her aura, because her uncle asked in a very empathetic voice. "Are you sure you're alright?"

With that, Ruby sighed and sat up in her bed. She pushed out of the covers and brought her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. "I…" She muttered, "this isn't the first nightmare I've had since…" She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Luckily, Qrow had already caught on, and nodded in understanding.

Ruby continued, "They aren't as bad as they've been before, not recently at least. But...something happened. I...this one was bad. R-really bad. I...I had to leave the room, and my heart was racing, and I just felt really scared…" Oh no, she could feel it again. The fear, the guilt, and loss of control. Her face grew hot, and she could feel tears forming in her eyes. No, no, no. She couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry, not in front of Qrow. She felt terrible for waking him up, forcing him to deal with her feelings and troubles.

Qrow saw Ruby's face begin to turn pink as her eyes grew watery. Upon seeing this, he instinctively took her hand, rubbing his thumb against it gently. Ruby shook her head slightly to guide her hair in front of her face so her uncle couldn't see her. She tried her best to avoid sniffling or gasping, but her breathing was strained and interrupted by tiny sobs. She felt Qrow release her hand and wrap his arms around her, one rubbing her back, the other stroking her hair.

"You're not alone in this, you know." He said, "We're all here for you, kiddo. Always." The kindness and sincerity in her uncle's voice caused a lump to form in Ruby's throat. She attempted to swallow it down, only resulting in a choked sob to slip through her lips. She did the best she could to hide her face from Qrow, not wanting him to see her like this. She was supposed to be the happy one, the positive one, the one who gave everyone hope and brought smiles to their faces. She wasn't supposed to feel sad. She couldn't _afford_ to be sad, not after everything she'd lost.

 _The hero saves everyone, but who saves the hero?_ The thought sank in for a while as her uncle spoke softly.

"You can cry." He breathed, "You don't have to act tough all the time, especially around me. Cry if you need to, but one way or another, you're not doing it alone."

Ruby continued to resist, coughing out a few sobs, until she finally gave in. She buried her face in Qrow's shirt and sobbed. She cried for Beacon's demise, for Penny's defeat, for Pyrrha's fate, for Yang's hopelessness, for leaving her father. She cried out of grief for her friends and family, out of fear of what may come, out of stress, guilt, regret, desperation to not lose anyone else.

All the while, Qrow held and comforted her, occasionally whispering "I know…" He didn't say that everything was going to be okay, or shush her or tell her to calm down. He knew that she needed this, to let this all out. He knew that things weren't going to be okay. Not to his knowledge, at least. He wouldn't lie to her, but he would be there for her. Qrow held his niece, willing to wait the entire night for her if he had to.

By the time Ruby's sobs transitioned into little hiccups, Qrow whispered in her ear, "Gimme a sec" and stood up, walking into the bathroom. He came back with a tissue box and handed it to the girl, who gladly accepted it. She blew her nose, throwing the wad onto the bedside table, then grabbed another one to wipe her tears.

"Better?" Her uncle asked. Ruby gave him a small shrug. "...it was good to get it out. I hate crying, though."

"Yeah, well," Qrow sighed, "sometimes it's the only thing you can do. And it's a way better option than keeping it to yourself."

Ruby pushed her hair out of her eyes and finally looked up at Qrow. God, he looked _tired_. Half of that could be the fact that he was still recovering from Tyrian's poison, but it could also be from having to deal with her. Ruby frowned at the thought.

"There's nothing wrong with talking to people, kid." He said, as if reading her mind. Ruby shifted her legs so that they were dangling off the bed as she leaned against her uncle. "Sometimes..." she hesitates, "Sometimes I feel like...like I didn't do enough."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know, I know, that's not the issue. I just...my semblance allows me to move at speeds faster than anyone, but I never got to them in time. I was too late for Penny, for...Pyrrha...for Yang...I couldn't save any of them."

Qrow knew exactly where the girl was coming from. He remembered having similar feelings regarding his own teammates. He sighed, "You're strong, kid. Stronger than anyone I've ever known at your age. But that doesn't make you superhuman. Everyone has their limits, and sometimes things happen that are out of our control. What matters now is that you did everything you could, we all did. Now we've got to move on and make up for what we weren't able to accomplish."

"Beating Salem won't bring them back." Ruby stated.

The huntsman's expression darkened slightly and he sighed, "No, it won't. But those who lost their lives were fighting for a cause; a cause to bring peace. We can't bring them back, but we can honor them by fighting for the cause they believed in." His eyes trailed up to the shattered moon through the window, "I should know."

Ruby contemplated his words, letting them sink in as she set her head on his chest. "Is that what you and dad did when mom died?"

"Yeah." He said, his eyes downcast. "Your mom wanted nothing more than you and your sister to grow up into two beautiful and strong girls." He smiled down at her. "I think she'd be proud with how you've turned out."

Ruby smiled.

Qrow gave the girl a little pat before shifting to stand up. "Well, it's late. We should probably-"

"Wait!" Ruby grabbed his arm before he stood, earning a raised eyebrow from the man. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She didn't want to keep him any longer, he needed sleep just as much as she did. Her grip tightened slightly, "I…"

"You want me to stay?"

Ruby gave him a tiny nod. Qrow chuckled and sat back down, "Okay. Only if you promise to go back to sleep." Ruby shuffled and slid underneath her covers, smiling up at her uncle and earning another chuckle from him. He laid down next to her, not bothering with the covers. His face wrinkled in confusion, "Hey, how come your bed is softer than mine?"

Ruby giggled, "I dunno. I guess I'm just better than you."

"I'm the one who almost died, I deserve the soft bed."

"Yeah, well I had to carry you all the way to Kuroyuri. I did more work than you."

The two glared at each other playfully until Qrow reached up and poked Ruby's nose, his tone serious. "Boop."

Ruby stifled a laugh, unable to keep a grin from spreading across her face at the rare display of her uncle's silliness. Qrow chuckled, happy to see her smile.

"When I was little, and couldn't fall asleep," Ruby murmured, "did you ever do anything to help? Apart from telling stories, I mean."

"I'll tell a story if you want me to." Qrow shrugged. "Let's see...sometimes you were really hyper, or you had a nightmare...heh, you might not remember this, but you sleepwalked a couple of times."

"Did not!"

"Oh, yeah. You haven't done it in a long time, but I remember I was at your house. You must've been about seven...maybe eight...and your dad and I were talking in the kitchen when you just walked in. When we asked what was wrong, you didn't answer. You just kind of wandered for a bit, mumbling some random words." He chuckled, "Hehe, it actually freaked me out a bit, but your dad was like, 'nah, it's fine, she does this,' and just took you back upstairs."

Ruby facepalmed in embarrassment, "Of course, he never told me that I did these things." Qrow hummed in both agreement and amusement.

"Anyways," He said, "when you couldn't sleep, you'd either have us tell you a story, sleep in your sister's bed with her, or have one of us stay with you until you fell asleep." He smirked at her, "One of which you haven't grown out of." Ruby gently punched him in the chest.

"But…" Qrow raised his hand and started to gently run his fingers across her face, "when you were little, this always made you sleepy, no matter the circumstances."

Ruby hummed, enjoying the feeling of her uncle stroking her face and hair. He trailed his hand down the bridge of her nose, almost as if he were attempting to will her eyes to close. She hadn't even realized that they had already closed. Qrow couldn't help but smile at his niece's drowsiness. _Still just a kid._

Ruby did have the slightest memory of her father or uncle lulling her to sleep with stories while gently caressing her face. The loving gesture made her feel like she was back home, safe in bed...not a care in the world…

"I miss home." She mumbled, opening her eyes. "I miss Yang, and Dad, and Zwei, and the breakfast Dad would always make in the mornings. I miss the four of us sitting on the couch together, watching movies and laughing."

Ruby shifted her gaze to her uncle, her eyes somber. "I want to go home."

There were many things in the world that Qrow hated: Death of innocents, bottom shelf drinks, but mostly, to see his nieces upset. Ruby may have superhuman abilities, hence her eyes, but she was still human, still a _kid_. No one, not even herself, should have to expect so much from her.

"I know." He said. "I'm sure your dad and your sister miss you, too."

"Do you think she's still mad at me?" Ruby remembered the last real conversation that they had before she left with the others.

 _What do we do now?_

 _You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here._

 _Yang-_

 _Just leave me alone._

 _I love you…_

The memory made her heart ache, and she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to ease the pain.

"I…" Qrow sighed, "I don't think she's really mad. I think she's...hurt, sad, confused, and the only way she can really express those emotions are through anger. That's just who she is."

"I shouldn't have left the way I did." Ruby said. "I should have said goodbye directly, not some dumb note. Dad's probably worried sick."

Qrow chuckled humorlessly, "He's always worried."

Ruby looked up at her uncle, studying his scarlet eyes. "Do they know? That you followed us?"

"Oh, yeah." Qrow nodded. "The minute your dad told me you left, I told him I'd keep an eye on you. He doubted me at first, like always, but there wasn't anything else to do. Besides, he had to look after Yang."

"He's gonna be super mad at me." Ruby said. Her expression suddenly turned somber, "...if I ever see him again."

Qrow stiffened. Ruby's eyes were downcast, so he put his finger under her chin and gently guided her head up so they were face to face. "Ruby." He said, his tone serious. "Don't think like that. Don't even consider it. Whether it's when this is all over, or not, you're going to make it home. I'll make sure of it. Understand?"

Ruby didn't look convinced, but she nodded nonetheless. Qrow smiled again, "Good. I've got your back, kiddo."

 _I've always got your back, sis._

Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat and sighed, closing her eyes. Qrow sensed her discomfort and curled his lip slightly. "So," he said, "you still want a story?"

Ruby chuckled without opening her eyes, "You don't have to."

"But I can."

Ruby opened one of her silver eyes, pulling her sassiest look despite how sleepy she was becoming. "Mmm, ok. Let me think of one." She tried to think back to the many stories she'd heard before, but she could feel herself practically melting into her bed as Qrow continued to caress her face.

Seeing that his niece was barely able to keep her eyes open, Qrow decided he'd suggest one. "How about Little Briar-Rose?" Ruby hummed in response. Taking that as a yes, Qrow nodded and spoke in a soft voice.

"Long ago, in a faraway kingdom, lived a king and queen, who had just had a beautiful daughter…"

* * *

Jaune, Ren, and Nora sat in the living room. Ren was reading a book while Nora leaned against his shoulder, skimming the book but unable to keep up. Jaune had his sword out, cleaning it of dirt and grime. After a moment, he paused and looked around.

"Hey," He said, "have you guys seen Ruby at all this morning?"

Ren and Nora looked up from the book, scanning the room for a moment. "I don't think so." Ren responded.

"Yeah." Nora agreed, "I haven't seen her or her uncle, actually."

Jaune stood up, setting his sword down. "I'm gonna check their room, make sure they're okay."

He made his way to Ruby's room and rapped on the door softly, "Ruby? Qrow?" When he didn't receive an answer, he opened the door and looked inside. What he saw surprised him, but he relaxed and smiled softly.

Ruby was huddled up under her covers, a content smile on her face as she slept. Lying to her right was her Uncle Qrow, sound asleep. His hand laid on Ruby's pillow just away from her face, having gone limp as he dozed off before even finishing the story he'd been telling. Ruby had fallen asleep not long before him.

Jaune's plans of waking them up died in the back of his mind as he gazed upon the two. Not wanting to bother them, he quietly closed the door, leaving them to catch up on some much needed rest.

 _I don't know where we should go,_

 _Just feeling farther from our goal._

 _I don't know what path we will be shown,_

 _But I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home._

 _Yes, I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home._

* * *

 **Hiiii, so this is a rewrite. I wrote the first version of this at midnight, so there are some parts of it that I didn't like too much. However, since it got so much attention, I'm leaving it up, but I also wanted to make this because I felt like it and I personally like this version better than the first version. Anyways, I hoped you liked this!**


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